The Bruised Boy
by basketballbabe50
Summary: A case makes Tony think of his own childhood. !PapaGibbs comes to the rescue
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

_A/N: I sincerely apologize if anything is wrong with this story. I will say in advance that I am not an expert on the Navy or the Marines._

 **Chapter One: The Accident**

" **H** on, I love him to death! That sounds bad, but you know what I mean," Mayra DiNozzo talked quickly to her husband as she held her newborn baby.

Anthony DiNozzo and his wife brought their new baby, Tony Jr., home from the hospital on July 8, 1971.

"He is a beaute," Anthony told her.

"Yea, looks just like you," Mayra commented.

Tony Jr. had his father's brown locks and deep green eyes. He was sleeping peacefully in his navy bassinet. He was happy and loved.

* * *

"Tony? Have you seen your father?" Mayra asked from the bottom of the stairs to her son, who was quietly playing in his room.

It was October 15 of 1979, eight years after Tony was brought home from the hospital.

The small boy called back, "He's with a client downtown."

"Alright. Hey, sweetheart? You wanna go to the carnival? I think they're having one down by the park," she asked.

"Yeah!" Tony hopped down the stairs enthusiastically, bored by staying indoors all day.

"Okay, well, grab your jacket and we'll go. 'Kay?" she told him.

He nodded and ran to grab his jacket. They left the house. It was raining.

"Tony! Get in my car! It's too wet to walk!" Mayra shouted over the storm.

They got in the car, and Tony asked, "How are we gonna go to the carnival if it's all wet?"

Always spontaneous, Mayra said, "Well, we'll find something else fun to do-something _in_ doors _._ "

Tony smiled and nodded.

They drove and drove, looking for something fun to do. "Can we see a film? That's indoors," Tony asked.

Mayra told him, "Bud, the nearest theater is across the bridge."

"So?" Tony inquired. "We cross the bridge everyday for school?"

"Yeah, but it's raining," she said. She looked at him through her mirror, his sad little face. "Okay, baby, we can go see a film."

"Yes!" he cried excitedly.

She smiled as she drove to the bridge, and they crossed. Halfway along the bridge, she told him, "You know I love you, kid? Your dad, he loves ya, too. Remember that?"

"Yeah, I know. I will. I love you, too, Mama," Tony replied.

They smiled at one another. Just then, a large truck slammed into the driver's side door. Tony screamed.


	2. Chapter 2: Still Alive

**Chapter Two: Still Alive**

 **T** ony walked into work with a huge smile on his face, as he always did. Smile, laugh, smile. Everything was good, fine.

"What are you so happy about?" Kate Todd, his new partner asked him nonchalantly.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just happy," Tony told her.

"Hey! DiNozzo!"

"Not so happy anymore," Tony said in an undertone.

His boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, strode up to him. "DiNozzo, I thought I told you to place your report on my desk last night?"

"Well, I did...Well, I was going to...Well, I thought about it...Well...I forgot," Tony told him.

"Yeah, I noticed. I want that report on my desk by eight, DiNozzo. You got me?" Gibbs said adamantly, leaving no room for debate.

"Yeah," Tony said quickly, nodding his head. "Right away, boss."

"Good. Director wants me in MTAC. DiNozzo, you got point," Gibbs told him.

"Yeah, got it, boss," DiNozzo said unconcernedly.

"Why does he always get point?" Kate asked, slightly perturbed. "I think, in the time I've been here, I've already proven myself more mature, serious, _adultlike."_

Gibbs smiled inwardly. "So, you think you are superior to him?"

"A little," Kate honestly shrugged. "I mean, when I first met him, I was surprised he was allowed to be a cop."

"Hey!" Tony chirped.

Gibbs held up his hand to quiet Tony. "What can I say? He's my Senior Field Agent." Gibbs made to leave for MTAC. Tony smiled faintly at Kate, who, for her part, rolled her eyes. Gibbs looked back briefly and called, "You're not, by the way."

Kate looked up from her desk inquisitively. "What? I'm not what?"

"Superior to him. The two of you are equal," Gibbs explained at the elevator.

Kate bemusedly asked, "Then, why-?"

"DiNozzo has seniority, Agent Todd!" Gibbs said before he rode the next car down.

* * *

"I don't see why you can't just listen to me like a normal person?" Tony called, frustrated.

"Maybe because you're not a normal person," Kate quipped.

"Oh, ha ha ha!" Tony laughed sarcastically. "That's oh so funny, Kate! But, as you can see we have nothing and Gibbs is gonna be back any minute now."

"That true, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, behind him.

"Boss, I would love to know how the hell you do that," Tony told him.

"That's interesting, DiNozzo. You found my killer yet?" Gibbs changed subjects with ease.

"Well, we...No, not at all," Tony answered sullenly.

"Why not?" Gibbs asked sternly.

"Because, I'm...not...as good a leader...as you are, boss," Tony said slowly, making it up on the spot.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a facetious smile, "I want you to know that we got this case yesterday. Now right now, the two of you have gotten nowhere. So, I'm gonna tell you right now, if you don't get some sort of information soon, you're gonna be the next body on Ducky's table. Understand?"

"Yes, boss," Tony said, throwing a glare at Kate as the two ran back to their desks to find something, fast.

The case in question was a dead marine found in his home. The marine, Private Michael Taylor, was stabbed several times in his chest. He was placed on the family room couch in his home. TV on, he appeared to be watching television. That's how it appeared to his seven-year-old son, Noah, who had come to talk to his dad. The marine had fallen on one side when the boy had touched his arm.

"I'm going to see Ducky," Gibbs said, as he quickly stood up and headed for the elevator.

"You looking at his background, Tony?" Kate asked her partner.

"Yeah, from the time he was born. You can check his records; phone, finances, you know the drill," Tony offered from behind his computer screen.

"Yeah, okay," Kate said. After about twenty minutes, she looked up and quickly told Tony, "I'm sorry about before, Tony. You had point, I should've listened to you."

Tony shrugged and glanced up, untroubled. "Never apologize," he informed her, his way of letting her know he forgave her. "It's a sign of weakness."


	3. Chapter 3: Thinking

**Chapter Three: Thinking**

 **G** ibbs strode briskly into the room. "Whaddaya got?"

Kate got up from her desk, as Tony stayed put. "Um, he received three calls from a woman, Olivia Dane, the night he was murdered. I think she'd be a good place to start. Uh, several things were bought with his credit card that day as well. TV, video games, computer, you name it," Kate explained.

Gibbs nodded and turned to Tony, who had been half listening to Kate's spiel, "DiNozzo."

After a minute, Tony looked up and stood. "Yeah, boss?"

Gibbs sighed frustrated, "The case, DiNozzo. What did you find? Now would be great."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I found out something interesting. Well, not like interesting interesting. But interesting, like, sorta ironic. No, not really ironic. Sad, yeah. I think the word's, uh, bizarre. Like, incredibly-"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped. "Get on with it! Now!"

"Right. Um, his father committed suicide when he was fourteen," Tony told them.

"Tony, that's sad and all, but bizarre? How is it bizarre? People take their own life. Tony, it's sad, but not uncommon," Kate said, muddled.

"That's not the bizarre part, Kate." Tony turned his attention back to Gibbs and finished his point, saying, "Boss, three years later, he was seventeen, his mother took her own life."

"What? Both parents dead by the time he reaches eighteen? That's horrible!" Kate expressed her dismay.

Gibbs looked up at Tony and asked, "He have any siblings?"

"Uh, yeah, an older brother and younger sister," Tony said, referring to his computer screen.

"Alright. Kate, you find this Olivia Dane," Gibbs ordered. Kate nodded. "DiNozzo, you find the marine's siblings." Tony mimicked Kate's nod and went to sit behind his desk.

* * *

"You've gotten yourself into a bit of a situation, Private Taylor. Ah, I remember a case like this. I was much younger then. It involved an angry girlfriend, a cheating marine, and the other woman. See, neither girl had been told that the marine had been seeing both. They joined together when they found out. Sixteen stab wounds to the chest! Aw, but do not fret. They are both in prison now. Such a shame how people can be pushed to-"

"Duck."

"Ah, Jethro. I was wondering when you'd get here," Ducky said.

"You got anything yet," Gibbs said, as he got nothing before.

Ducky answered, "Yes, I believe I do. This marine was stabbed in the-"

"Boss! Boss. Boss, hi," Tony ran in through the door.

Gibbs ran his hand over his eyes, exhaustedly saying, "DiNozzo."

"Boss," Tony said back.

Gibbs waited, albeit three seconds, then said, "What, DiNozzo?!"

"Oh, yeah. I found them, the brother and sister. Alex Taylor and Lindsay O'Connor. They live in Upper Marlboro, not together. They live with their families. Alex is married, four kids; Lindsay, she's married with five kids. No self control, I guess-"

"You're one to talk," Gibbs quipped.

Tony smirked. "I have self control, boss. I don't have any kids."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, thinking that it was more so the fact that DiNozzo acted like a child himself most of the time. But, he ignored it and pushed on with the case. "Go talk to 'em."  
"Both of them?" Tony asked.

"No, DiNozzo. I only want you to talk to one of 'em," Gibbs replied, facetiously.

Tony confusedly asked, "What? Why? If I'm already-ouch!" Tony was not completely new to his boss' hand connecting to the back of his head.

"Of course I want you to talk to 'em both! For crying out loud, DiNozzo! Use your head!" Gibbs exclaimed with indignation, slightly appalled at his, usually competent, agent.

"Sorry, boss. I'll…" Tony slowly retreated towards the door, but Gibbs unmistakably heard it when Tony muttered, "...be better."

Gibbs thought about it. Not I'll do better or even I'll try harder. It was I'll _be_ better. And it wasn't the first time the young agent had done this. Never saying it where anybody should hear it outright, always muttered or in an undertone. Always about how he wasn't good enough. Always hinting as though he believed he wasn't worth anything. Gibbs thought he knew Tony. Hell, he'd placed him on his team for a reason. He was a damn good agent and an even better person. Sure, he had flaws; everyone did. But, Tony never seemed to care. Always smiling, laughing, smiling. Never bothered by anything. Troubled by Tony's barely inaudible, "I'll...be better," Gibbs turned toward the door his agent had just retreated from. Maybe he didn't know him at all?


	4. Chapter 4: Lost

**Chapter Four: Lost**

 **T** ony had found some things out, talking to the siblings. One, according to both, Michael was aloof. They both mentioned something about him not really being part of the family. Like he was there and not there at the same time. Michael was complicated.

Tony arrived back at the navy yard and rode the elevator to his floor. Something Kate said earlier was troubling him. _Several things were bought with his credit card that day as well. TV, video games, computer, you name it._ Why? He felt he knew who'd purchased those things, and it wasn't the marine.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said as Tony approached from the elevator.

"Boss? Can I question Taylor's family again?" Tony asked, walking up to Gibbs' desk.

Gibbs looked puzzled as to why Tony wanted to question the family again, but decided to ignore it. "If you have good cause, DiNozzo. Understand?" Gibbs said, not wanting him to harass the family, but also knowing Tony must have found something or learned something for this to be that urgent.

"Thanks, boss," Tony said, hurrying back towards the elevator.

Gibbs wanted to talk with him, figure some things out. But, he figured it wasn't the time. Not now. After the case would be better. He would have time to listen to his agent, that is if he would talk. He wasn't even sure DiNozzo would talk. He might just shrug it off, saying he was fine.

Gibbs shook his head, knowing already he wouldn't take that as an explanation.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby said, interrupting his thoughts.

"What, Abs?" he asked as the forensic scientist stood in front of his desk.

"I got fingerprint results from the knife," Abby told him.

"You could've called," Kate said from her desk.

"Yeah, but I got too excited," Abby said.

Gibbs gave a small smile, saying, "Whose prints were on the knife, Abs?"

"Hailey Rose," Abby told him proudly.

"Kate?"

"On it, Gibbs," Kate told him.

* * *

Tony walked up to the house the marine had once called home. It was small, but looked roomy somehow. He walked to the dark wooden porch to ring the bell. The house was blue with red curtains showing through the windows. He rang the bell.

"Agent, uh-"

"DiNozzo," Tony helped.

Hannah Taylor nodded as she asked, "What are you doing here? Can I help?"

Tony nodded slightly. "I was wondering if I could talk with Noah again? I just have a few questions for him, if you don't mind."

"Uh, of course. Should I be in the room?" she asked.

"Um, no offense," Tony said, "But, uh, kids usually are more truthful if their parents aren't in the room. They don't wanna get in trouble."

Hannah nodded in understanding. "Of course. I-He's upstairs, second door on the right."

"Thank you," Tony spoke, heading for the stairs.

"Um, Agent DiNozzo?" Tony turned on the step he was on, tilting his head to the side. "Be gentle. He's only seven."

Tony nodded. "I will."

He walked up the stairs and looked at the door, second on the right. In huge blue and red letters, it said **N** **O** **A** **H**. Under it was a sign that read **Private Property! No Trespassing!** Around the words were stickers of sports balls, baseball, basketball, football, soccer; the door was covered in them. He knocked lightly, asking, "Noah?"

"What?" Noah asked, opening the door. "Hey, you're one of those cop guys that was at the house earlier. Did you avenge my dad?"

A smile flickered around the corners of Tony's mouth. He answered, "Not yet. I came to ask you a few questions. Do you mind?"

Noah shook his head and invited the agent in. "What do you need to know?"

"We, uh, my partner actually, she found purchases on your dad's credit card. The day of the...incident. You know anything about that?"

Noah's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly recovered, saying, "No, why?"

"Well, because we found these purchases, expensive stuff. TVs, computers, video games. Whatever, he bought it," Tony said.

"And?" Noah inquired.

"Well, you got a nice TV right there," Tony said, looking around the room. Noticing all the expensive stuff. "What is it, sixty inch?"

"Seventy," Noah mumbled.

Tony nodded. "Playstation 2? Nice," Tony said, walking over to inspect the games. "Madden NFL 2004, Need for Speed: Underground, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Mario Kart: Double Dash!, Tony Hawk's-"

"What's your point?" Noah asked skeptically.

"My point," Tony revealed, "is that your dad didn't buy this for you, did he?"

Noah silently stared at him.

"Noah? Tell me the truth," Tony told him.

"If I tell you, are you going to tell my mom?" Noah asked, fidgeting slightly.

Tony shook his head, saying, "Not if you don't want me to."

Noah sighed and started explaining, "I have a friend at school. He told me that his big brother was an electrician. He said he could hook up anything that I wanted. He said I could buy anything and that there'd be no record of it. So I did. And his brother hooked it up. And, now I have it. I wasn't trying to be bad."

Tony stared at him for a bit, then observed, "You're lying."

Noah indignantly claimed, "No I'm not! That's the truth!"

"No, it's not," Tony said calmly. "If it was, you'd have to be incredibly stupid, Noah, and you're not."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked.

"Everyone knows parents find out what was bought on the credit card bill. And, if you didn't, you would know your mom or dad would walk in your room at some point. They'd see expensive stuff they didn't remember buying, and you'd get in trouble. Am I right?"

Noah slowly nodded.

"What really happened, Noah? I won't tell your mom, I swear," Tony started over.

"Fine. I found his credit card-well, stole it from his wallet while he was sleeping one night. I don't remember when. I paid my friend's older brother to buy all that stuff, 'cause I knew they'd find it weird if a seven-year-old was buying all that stuff. Then, he came and hooked it up-that's the truth-and that's why he had those purchases on his card. You were right, it wasn't him."

"Why?" Tony asked.

"I wanted...I wanted him to notice me. Everytime he comes home, he barely says anything to me! I wanted him to...to...I don't know! Do something!" Noah ranted.

"Did he?" Tony wondered.

"No," Noah remembered. "He came in my room one night, told me to go to bed, and pretended he didn't see anything. He didn't care."

Tony nodded once more as he headed for the door. "Thank you for being straight with me, bud."

"You promised you wouldn't tell my mom, 'member?" Noah worried.

"Yep, I promised. I won't tell her, kid," Tony said, leaving Noah to himself. As he walked out, he couldn't help noticing, Noah's room was without any windows. No window, no red curtain, no witnesses.

* * *

"Did you find anything useful, Tony?" Kate asked as he got in.

"Uh, yeah actually," Tony mentioned.

Gibbs looked up. "What did find, Tony?"

Tony glanced at him as he said, "I talked to Noah, Taylor's seven-year-old son."

"Yeah?" Gibbs said.

"Yeah. He told me he made the purchases on the credit card. Wanted his dad to pay attention to him. And, if he wasn't going to get good attention, he didn't mind going the other way," Tony informed them.

"That's a good job, Tony," Gibbs praised.

Tony nodded, "Thanks, boss."

 _Yeah,_ Gibbs thought, _something is definitely bothering him. Maybe our talk can't wait._


	5. Chapter 5: The Talk

**Chapter Five: The Talk**

 **T** ony sat atop his desk, reading a printed copy of the report he had been reviewing-from social services. He was, well, appalled to say the least.

Gibbs walked in, coffee in hand. "DiNozzo," he said, upon seeing Tony.

"Sorry, boss," Tony said, hopping off his desk, thinking that's what the problem was. "Boss?" Tony said, coming to the front of Gibbs' desk.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs sighed, not meaning to sound so bushed. It was just that he wanted to speak with Tony, not about the case.

"Uh, I got a report. A report from social services," Tony told.

Kate got up from her desk. "What's it say?"

"Noah Taylor, the marine's son, has a file. They found, um, sorry. They found bruises on him, too many, more than a kid should have. That was in '99. He was only," Tony paused, mentally doing the math, "three."

"What?!" Gibbs said, outraged someone would-scratch that-could do that to, not only a baby, but their own child.

"You heard me," Tony spoke in anger, shaking his head. "It's...despicable."

"His father?" Gibbs inquired.

Tony nodded. "Had to be. I saw his wife, Noah's mom. She had bruises, Gibbs. They were covered by makeup but still...evident."

Gibbs recovered, quickly saying, "Kate, you find Rose or Dane?"

"Yeah," Kate said with a sigh. "They're both doctors."

"What?" Tony asked.

"Pediatricians, to be exact," Kate specified.

He nodded. "Noah's?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Dr. Dane was his primary doctor. But they did work at the same hospital: _Children's National_ ," Kate explained.

"Bring 'em in and put 'em in interrogation," Gibbs ordered.

"Got it," Kate answered.

"Tony," Gibbs said.

"Yeah?" Tony said. Halfway to his desk, he turned.

"With me," Gibbs said, walking, not to the elevator, their usual conference room, ironically to an actual conference room. Tony slowly followed, looking confused.

Gibbs looked around the conference room, making sure it was empty. He motioned Tony in first, before stepping in himself and closing the door.

After a moment of silence, Tony asked, "What's up, boss?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Gibbs returned.

"What do you mean?" Tony smiled awkwardly.

"I mean, what's goin' on, DiNozzo?" Gibbs demanded.

"Wha-nothing. Nothing, boss," Tony charmingly smiled, pretending everything was good, everything was fine.

"That's not gonna work, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, unrelentlessly.

"What do you mean?" Tony spoke, continually smiling.

"DiNozzo. You're acting different. I wanna know, is it the case or is it you?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm not-I'm not acting different," Tony told him. Slowly, his smile began to fade as piercing blue eyes penetrated his facade. He relented, "Okay. Maybe, I dunno-Maybe I am acting different. It's not a-You don't have to worry about me, okay? I'm fine."

"Maybe you were or maybe you are, but I don't think so. You, you are acting different. Fragile, even," Gibbs told him honestly.

"Fragile? You think I'm fragile?" Tony said in disbelief. No one had ever told Tony DiNozzo they thought he was fragile. Annoying, yeah. Sexist, yeah. Immature, heck to the hell yeah. But, fragile? Vulnerable? Never.

"Yeah, fragile. What happened? The case?" Gibbs asked.

Tony put a hand over his eyes, saying, "It's not the case. It's...it's me. I...feel different. I don't know, okay. I'm doing my job, right? So, you don't have to-"

"But I do," Gibbs told him. He thought for a second, then said, "Were you…?"

Tony's eyes widened slightly as he realized what his boss was asking. "Was I…? No. Not...really at all."

"What's that mean? 'Not really at all'?" Gibbs questioned.

Tony sighed. "Look, boss. I don't really-I don't wanna talk about this, okay?"

"Well, you need to. Trust me. What happened?" Gibbs tried again.

Tony sighed again. "Alright. But I don't want-"

"I won't. Do I seem like a chatterbox to you?" Gibbs offered.

Tony laughed sadly, concluding, "No, no, you're not."

"So?" Gibbs said encouragingly.

"Oh. You still want me to…?" At Gibbs' nod, he muttered, "Right."

Gibbs waited, letting Tony go at his own pace.

"Um, okay. I wasn't abused. That's what you thought, right? I wasn't. I-My dad, after my mom...passed, he was...different. He kinda hit me sometimes when he got mad, but he mostly just ignored me. So, there you go," Tony finished.

Gibbs made sure he was finished before he replied, "Tony, that-That _is_ abuse, okay?"

Tony stated, "No, he didn't mean to. He just, he got angry sometimes. And, hell, most of the time it was my fault! He's not-!"

"Tony, it's still abuse. And it's not your fault. Even if he hit you because he got mad! Alright? You can tell me that it doesn't count as abuse because it wasn't intentional or whatever, but not-You can't tell me neglect is unintentional. He knew what he was doing," Gibbs said, trying to get Tony to understand.

"He forgot-"

"You don't forget your child!" Gibbs resounded.

"Why do you-Why are you so angry? It's...it is what it is," Tony spoke.

"Well, tell me, DiNozzo, what would you do if you found out a little boy was being abused by his dad?!" Gibbs called out.

Tony realized he was referring to earlier in the squad room and said, "That-That's different!"

"How?!" Gibbs asked in disbelief.

Tony blurted out, "He could be saved!"

Gibbs had been utterly shocked few times in his life. This was one of them. He, of course, had not been expecting that. _Anything_ but that. "Tony…"

"I'm damaged, Gibbs," Tony continued. "I know that. I...accept that. I'm too far-It's...too late. I'm-"

"Tony?" Gibbs tried again.

"What? You think I'm not completely ruined. You think it hasn't consumed me for twenty-four years? I'm...Anthony D. DiNozzo, Jr. I have his name. I'm-I'll always be connected to him. Always! I _can't_ forget about it or him because every time I even write my frickin' name, it's him! I can't escape it! It's too late! And...you don't have to worry about me. I'm okay. I'm fine. I always am." After he finished, Tony walked briskly to the door and back to the bullpen.

Gibbs stayed behind as the door slammed shut. Frustrated with himself, he slapped himself on the back of the head. How could he be so stupid? DiNozzo- _Tony_ DiNozzo-showed definite signs of abuse, he always had. Gibbs had been blind to it all, for two years! Tony was...untrusting?...to say the least. It had taken Gibbs two years to get DiNozzo this far. For the first year or so, he was a closed book. He was animated, but never gave anything away from his past. Only the present, only about the girl of the day, or something else unimportant. So, he wouldn't get hurt. _After my mom...passed_ , Tony had said. He'd trusted his dad, before. His father had betrayed his trust a long time ago, but the fear remained today, clear as ever.

Tony, Gibbs had noticed numerous times, felt worthless, damaged, _unimportant_. He'd say things, meant as a joke, signs of low self esteem. He pretended, put on a mask, feigned high self esteem because nobody cared what had happened to him behind closed doors, nobody except _his father._ If he'd told anyone, which Gibbs assumed he'd want to, his father would've had to undergo questions accusing him of child abuse, and he didn't need that. So, he'd trained his only son, his little boy, to lie about the things done to him. He was a bastard.

Because of his father, Tony had suppressed emotions. 'Except for happy,' Gibbs thought. He _rarely_ showed sadness, anger, worry, _fear_. He chose happy because no one would question a person for being happy, right? Smile, laugh, smile. Fake, fake, fake. All of it, fake. That Gibbs had known, suspected. He knew Tony like the back of his hand. He knew Tony's general happiness and his fake happiness. There was a big difference. Gibbs had suspected Tony was abused, just by his personality, his demeanor, his actions. He was insecure. That was to be expected after what happened with his last partner.

Gibbs shook his head. He was making excuses for not knowing to have a talk with DiNozzo the day, the week, the month, the year Tony had started working for him. _Ignorance is bliss_ , Gibbs thought. _That's why_.

Physically, emotionally, neglectfully; Tony had shown signs. Gibbs kicked himself now, they were so obvious. When Tony was injured, he never said anything. He pretended he was fine, even when somebody asked if he was okay. Even if he wasn't.

Another thing, Tony had never said anything, but it was fairly obvious. He couldn't sleep some nights, whether it be nightmares or otherwise. Or maybe, possibly, afraid to sleep? He'd known Tony wouldn't say from day one. Too proud, too arrogant...too scared.

And that's what it always was, fear. Tony's father had scared him to the brink. He had taught Tony from age eight to be scared of him, but also to never show fear. Fortunately, Tony was good at it. Otherwise, who knows what could've happened.

Risk. Injury. Tony had had more injuries in the field than any other agent Gibbs had ever hired or worked with. Because he cared more about others and the case than he did about himself. He's worthless, remember? Unimportant. Uncared for. So, risk didn't matter. What did he have to lose? Only his reputation for being a screw up, an immature child, a lazy cop. It didn't matter.

But it did.


	6. Chapter 6: Who?

**Chapter Six: Who?**

 **T** ony had never been so embarrassed. He'd told someone his whole past. And, as if that wasn't enough, the person he told had to be his boss. The man he most respected had just learned he wasn't as competent as he once thought. If Gibbs had known something was wrong, that meant he wasn't working well under the circumstances. If that was true, it was bad. Tony had learned long ago not to show what you're feeling because nobody would care about you and it just made you weak. Hell, maybe he had gone soft. He cursed himself as he remembered something his father had told him once: _Just smile and say you're fine because nobody really cares anyway. They're just pretending._ Was that true? God, why was it so hard? He walked back into the squad room before Gibbs, and his arrival caused Kate to look up.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"None of your business," he mumbled as Gibbs walked in.

"Get back to work. That means you too, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as Tony was sitting, just sitting, lost in his own mind. Tony nodded numbly as he settled back into the work wheel. Gibbs looked at him silently, thinking it wasn't over yet.

"Oh, Gibbs! I found out something else about Michael Taylor," Kate addressed him.

"What?" Gibbs looked up.

"He went to jail in '99 for child abuse. He had just gotten out the day before he was murdered. How's that for a irony? He survived prison only to be stabbed when he got home," Kate explained.

* * *

Gibbs got up from his desk, saying, "Kate, did you bring Rose and Dane in yet?"

"Um, yeah. They're in interrogation," Kate answered.

Gibbs nodded. "DiNozzo, I want you to talk to Dane."

"What about Rose?" Tony asked lazily. He looked up at Gibbs, and answered his own question. "You're gonna talk to Rose. I knew that."

Gibbs nodded again, saying, "Kate. I want you to talk to the siblings again. See if they knew anything about their brother?"

"Yeah," Kate said, standing and walking to the elevator.

* * *

Kate met Alex Taylor and Lindsay O'Connor at a quaint little coffee shop.

"So, you wanna talk about our brother again? Because we kind of already discussed it with the other agent," Alex told her.

"My partner, yeah, I know. We just found out more information on your brother, and I need to ask you a few more questions," Kate told them.

"Sure. We want to help in any way we can," Lindsay told her.

"Thank you. Um, so my partner told me, you both said your brother was sort of...independent?" Kate asked.

"Uh, yeah! You could say that. He was more like he didn't want anything to do with us," Alex told.

"After your parents died?" Kate wondered.

"No," Lindsay clarified. "Not specific to that. He was just always in his room, and, if anyone went in there, he would flip. He was, like, super private."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Would it surprise either of you if I told you that Michael's son has a file with social services. Suspected accounts of child abuse?"

"Noah?" Alex asked in shock.

"Yes. Did you keep in touch with Michael?" Kate asked.

"No. I learned that from his wife. Saw her in the supermarket once, remembered her from Mike's high school graduation where she told me they were going steady. Later I found out they eloped. But, anyway, she said they were still married and had a son, Noah," Alex explained.

"So?" Kate said.

"Does that surprise me? Yes! Very much so. I mean, I knew he was a little...batty, but I never thought he would do that," Alex expressed.

Kate turned to Lindsay who looked as though she had a different answer on her mind. "What about you, Lindsay? Did it surprise you?"

Finally, Lindsay shook her head. "No, it doesn't."

"Lin?" Alex asked.

"No. Remember that one time?" Lindsay turned away from her brother back to Kate. "I think I was maybe five years old. That would've made Michael ten. Mom had told me to go get Michael for dinner while she was finishing the cooking and Alex was setting the table. I don't remember where Daddy was. But, I went down the stairs to Michael's room to tell him. I knocked on the door and I guess I just opened the door and walked in. Michael lost it. He ran at me and pushed me to the ground. He kicked me in my stomach and back. He...He said to me _Don't ever come in my room again, you little bitch._ Then, he pulled me up by my hair and dragged me halfway up the stairs. Then, dropped my hair so Mom wouldn't know. So, yeah. I'd believe that in a heartbeat."

"Lin," Alex tried, "he was just a kid then. That doesn't make him a child abuser."  
"It proves he had anger issues. And, besides that, you wouldn't even know! You were four years older than him and almost double his size. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't gonna do anything to or around anyone that could take him. He wasn't stupid, but he was a coward," Lindsay finished.

"Lin! Don't speak that way," Alex told her. "She's exaggerating."

"I'm not. Alex, he traumatized me my whole life, everyday," Lindsay explained.

"She's only telling her side. She would aggravate him, and he'd get mad. It wasn't his fault," Alex said.

"Whatever," Lindsay said, getting up from the table and walking away.

"Thank you," Kate said to Alex, who got up and walked back to his car. Kate caught up with Lindsay and said, "So, you think Michael had anger issues?"

Lindsay turned around, tears in her eyes. "He did," she said, slightly reserved.

"What?" Kate asked suddenly.

"I can't tell you. I have a family to think about. I have to go," Lindsay told her, hurrying to her car.

Kate followed her quickly. "Lindsay. We can protect you and your family, but you need to tell me."

"No. I know you. The police, they always say they can protect you. Look what happened to Michael!" Lindsay said, close to hysterics.

"Just come down to the NCIS building. You will be safe there. You can stay there until your brother's killer is caught. But, sweetie, I need to know," Kate told her.

"I want my whole family brought there, if I do this," Lindsay told her.

"I can do that. We can stop by your house on the way and tell your husband to follow us to the navy yard. Okay?" Kate agreed.

Lindsay thought. Eventually, she relented, nodding, "Okay."

* * *

"Miss Dane," Tony began. "Sorry, is it Mrs. or Miss?"

"Dr.," she answered.

"Ookay," Tony said.

"Why am here, Agent?"

"DiNozzo," Tony introduced himself. "You and I are here to discuss one of your patients."

Dr. Dane looked confused. "Which patient?"

"Noah Taylor," Tony answered. "You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my patient. He's a good kid. A sweet kid," she told him.

"Yep. I met him. Great kid. Sad kid. I trust you're the doctor who first noticed his bruises?"

She nodded slowly. "That was four years ago."

"Yes. Who did you think inflicted them?" Tony asked.

"His father. He was horrible. Acted like he was a good father. Pretended," she said.

"Do you still believe that he did it?"

"Yes. Why?" she wondered.

"'Cause he's dead. Know of anyone that would kill him?" Tony asked.

"No. Wait. Do you think I did it?" she asked, appalled.

"Thinkin' about it," Tony told her. "What happened after you saw the bruises?"

"I called my associate, Dr. Hailey Rose. She's a...child abuse pediatrician. I asked her what she thought," Dane told.

"What did she say?" Tony asked.

"She said her job wasn't to say who did or didn't do it. Her job was to evaluate the child," she told him.

"But you didn't end it there. You needed some sort of answer. What did she tell you?" he pressed.

"I asked what the percentage of child abuse was inflicted by a parent," she continued.

"And what did she say?" Tony asked once again.

She looked Tony in the eyes and said, "About 80% of child abuse involve at least one parent as the perpetrator."

"So, you made up your mind there?" Tony asked.

"80% is a pretty high percentage. And it made sense. He was on leave, so he was with Noah all day. His wife, Hannah, she worked the dayshift," she explained.

"Fair enough. But, you made an assumption that Michael Taylor was abusing his son? No one else could've done it?" Tony asked.

"I don't know of anyone. Why?" she asked.

"Because I talked to Noah. He told me he purchased many expensive items with his dad's credit card."

"So?"

"So," Tony continued, "if the marine was a child abuser, don't you think that would've set him off? Made him mad? Make him want to hurt the small child that would do something like that?"

"I guess. Did he?"

"No. He ignored it. Does that sound like a child abuser?" Tony asked.

"Could be neglect. You don't think he's an abuser?"

Tony thought about that. "No. I think he sounds like a tired father who didn't want to fight with his son after everything that happened."

"Well, Agent DiNozzo," she said, "to each his own."

"Right," Tony murmured. " _Dr._ Dane, why did you call Private Taylor?"

Dane looked confused. "Well, I didn't call him."

"No?" Tony inquired. "Because we have Michael Taylor's phone records. It states three calls from one Olivia Dane. Care to explain that?"

Dane closed her eyes. "I didn't kill him."

"Wasn't my question," Tony told her.

"I did call him. But, it was only because I thought he was a child abuser. I kept calling because nobody was answering. We called social services back in 1999, and Michael went to court. Jury voted him guilty. Four years in jail was the sentence. Well, Agent DiNozzo, it's four years later. I was calling for Noah to make sure he was okay. But, I guess the phone was unplugged because after I called three times, I couldn't even reach the answering machine."

* * *

"Agent Gibbs," Gibbs said, walking into the interrogation room.

Dr. Rose nodded. "Why exactly am I here?"

"To talk about one of your patients, Noah Taylor."

Her eyebrows knit in confusion. "That's not my patient. He's Dr. Dane's patient."

"That's odd then because Dr. Dane said that you helped her out," Gibbs said.

"Well, I did. Four years ago. See, I'm a child abuse pediatrician. I'm only called when there's a suspicion of child abuse. Olivia had suspicions about Noah due to his bruises, so she called me," she answered.

"So, what did you tell her?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I told her I definitely thought it was child abuse. But, she only wanted to know who I thought the abuser was. I told her I couldn't ethically tell her my opinion. But she wanted to know the percentage of abusers that were parents, so I told her it was 80%. That's all I told her. It's not my job to pronounce people guilty or not guilty," she explained.

"Off the record, did you think Michael Taylor abused Noah?" Gibbs inquired.

"Between you and me? I did not. He was caring. I've been a child abuse doctor long enough to know and recognize fake caring and fake sympathy. He was real. He cared. That's why he brought Noah in. See, most abusers want their children to hide bruises and injuries. Michael Taylor brought his son in because he saw the bruises and Noah wouldn't say what happened. Olivia basically accused him of child abuse. He adamantly told her he didn't know who would do that to his little boy, especially not himself. There was that, and the child is typically fearful of their abuser. Noah ran straight into his dad's arms after his examination."

"So, who do you think it was? Unofficially," Gibbs hinted.

"I honestly don't know. The only people Noah's life that I met were his mom and his dad, and my professional opinion is that Noah was loved, at least by Michael and Hannah. I don't believe either of them would hurt him," Rose told him.

"One more question," Gibbs asked. "Did you kill Michael Taylor?"

"No," Rose said right away.

"Really because your prints are on the murder weapon. Care to explain," Gibbs inquired.

"I don't know why. I've never even seen Private Taylor outside the hospital," she told him. "I swear I didn't. Don't you believe me?"

"Evidence doesn't lie, people do," Gibbs opined, ending any following conversation. "Stick around."

* * *

As Tony and Gibbs were walking Dr. Dane to the elevator, they noticed five children, ranging from about four to twelve years of age, standing by who they assumed were their parents.

"Lindsay?" Tony said. He turned to Gibbs and said, "That's Taylor's sister."

"Kate?" Gibbs looked to Kate who was standing by the family.

"This is the O'Connor family." Kate walked closer so the family could no longer hear. "Lindsay knows something. She's scared, though, for her family. She thinks whoever killed Michael might come after her and her family. So, I offered her protection here until his killer is caught."

Gibbs nodded. "Take her to the conference room."

Kate nodded back, saying, "Alright. But, Gibbs, I think it'd be better if I talked to her, you know, woman to woman. I think she would open up more to me."

Gibbs smiled. "That was my plan."

"Oh."

* * *

"Lindsay, what did you wanna tell me?" Kate asked, after they arrived in the conference room and took their seats across from one another.

"Where's my family? Who's with them?" Lindsay wondered worriedly.

"Agent DiNozzo you met. He's with them. And Agent Gibbs is a seasoned special agent. He's there too. They're just in the squad room, safe," Kate insisted. "Lindsay, I need to know. It's crucial that you tell me anything that might help us."

Lindsay took a deep breath. "Yes. Okay. Michael...wasn't a hot-headed monster."

"But, you said-"

"I know. I lied. Had to. I couldn't say right then," Lindsay hurried on. "Michael was only scared. That's why he hid in his room all the time. Sometimes I hid in there with him. I wasn't scared of Michael. That time I told you about? Some of it's true. He did push me to the ground and he kicked me, but it was only because he thought I was someone else. When he realized, he helped me up and apologized. He was a good big brother. I was told to say Michael was a psychotic monster or I would be next."

"By whom?" Kate dared.

"My brother. Alex," Lindsay announced.

"Alex? But, why would he-?"

"Because _he_ was the monster. He traumatized me and Michael. He would punch us, kick us, beat us up. He was physical. But, he was also emotional. He'd say to Michael _Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people._ Or he'd say to me _Every girl has the right to be ugly, but you abused the privilege._ But, I think the reason Michael finally ran away was because of what Alex did and said the night of his high school graduation. We were sitting in the backyard, the three of us. Alex actually told Michael he loved him and that he was proud of him. We thought Alex might've actually turned over a new leaf, maybe. Then, Alex had said he was going to the restroom. We didn't think anything of it. So, me and Michael were just sitting there talking when a big rock was thrown into Mikey's nose. It started bleeding," Lindsay said, tearing up. As she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, she continued, "Then, Alex ran in from nowhere and tackled him onto the ground. He started hitting him. Then, I remember clearly, he said to Michael _I can't believe you really thought I loved you! Who could love you? I mean, if I were to kill everybody who hates you, it wouldn't be murder; it'd be genocide!_ And that was the last day I saw Mikey."

"Alex? You think Alex would kill Michael?" Kate asked quickly.

Lindsay looked at her. "Agent Todd, I thought he was gonna kill Mike that night. I know he's capable. And I heard from Mike the day before he was killed. He called me up. He told me to watch out and be on the look out because he'd learned something about Alex and that I wasn't safe."

Kate calmly asked, "What did he learn?"

Lindsay finally said, "I don't know. He hung up before I could ask. But, it scares me."

"Okay, come on. I'll take you back down to your family," Kate said, standing up.

As they walked toward the squad room, they heard a voice say, "Where the hell is Lindsay?! Bring her to me now! Or else one of you will die! Maybe all of you, I don't know."

Kate motioned for Lindsay to stay where she was and looked around the corner, swiftly drawing her gun, then turned back around the corner. There were only nine people in the bullpen. Lindsay's husband and their five kids, Gibbs and DiNozzo, both guns drawn, and another man with a gun pointed directly at Tony.

It was Alex.


	7. Chapter 7: Surrender

**Chapter Seven: Surrender**

" **A** lex," Tony tried to be calm, "put the gun down."

Alex smiled. Then, laughed. "You're gonna start making demands?"

Tony smiled back. Hey, it was his specialty. "Well, the odds are against you. You shoot me, he'll shoot you," he said, nodding his head in Gibbs' direction.

"What if I just shoot you both?" Alex claimed.

"You're not that talented," Tony told him.

"Let me see Lindsay, and I'll put my gun down," Alex tried to negotiate.

"Not gonna happen," Gibbs said immediately.

Behind the wall, Kate looked at Lindsay and whispered, "I have to go help my team. I want you to stay here. Okay, Lindsay?"

"I can't. My family," Lindsay told her.

"They won't be less in danger with you there. The minute Alex sees you, he will shoot you. Do you understand? Stay here," Kate warned.

"Promise you'll get them out safely?" Lindsay begged.

"I promise," Kate said without thinking. Then, she cursed herself. You never make promises you may not be able to keep. And she was definitely unsure about this situation. But she walked out from behind the wall, gun held parallel her chest, arms straight.

"Oh, look," Alex snarled. "Another guest."

Tony and Gibbs, not taking their eyes off their target, both knew who that visitor was. What the hell she was doing, they didn't know.

"Why did you kill Michael?" Kate asked loudly and clearly.

Alex smiled again. "Mike. Mikey. Michael. I hated him. Simple as that. He pretended to be a good person, but he wasn't."

"So, you killed him?" Kate asked.

"What's it matter? He didn't," Alex told.

Tony joined in. "Like hell he didn't! He was a dad, and a pretty damn good one if you ask me!"

Alex still smiled, unfazed. "Oh, I took care of that too. No one will think he's a good father ever again."

"What do you mean?" Kate and Tony asked at the same time.

"He went to jail, didn't he? For child abuse," Alex smiled bigger than ever.

Something clicked in Tony's mind. "You hurt Noah, not Michael."

"Took you long enough, didn't it? Of course I did it. Michael...I can't believe people bought that he did it. He's soft," Alex admitted.

"How?" Kate asked as Gibbs continually remained silent.

"Picked him up early from school, brought him to my place while my family was at work and school. And, I think you can figure the rest out. After I was sure he was thoroughly...scarred, I threatened him. If he told anyone, I'd do it again. Then I took him back to his house, just as his school bus arrived," Alex maliciously explained.

"Why?" Tony mustered a whisper.

"Why. Because! I hate him! I've hated him since he was born! You know, I tried to kill him when he was two. Put him in the dryer. Mom found out and I got whipped with Daddy's belt. But it doesn't matter 'cause they're both dead, and now so is Michael. The only one I have left is Lindsay," Alex finished, his eyes blank.

"The report says your parents committed suicide," Kate remembered.

Alex smiled. "I'm good aren't I? Overdosed Mom, hanged Daddy."

"How?" Kate wondered in horror.

"Easy. Mixed the pills up in Mom's dinner and in her wine. Daddy was more difficult. I had the noose ready in the basement. Daddy couldn't walk. Paralyzed from the waist down. I had to do more work. Learned to take the easy way with Mom. I had to drug him before I could put him in his wheelchair and push him down the stairs to the basement. I had to lift him to reach the noose. But it all paid off in the end. Daddy's dead. Mom's dead. Michael's dead. Lindsay will too," he said.

"Why did you stab Michael?" Tony suddenly wondered. "You said after your dad, you learned to take the easy way."

"Wanted him to suffer. He ruined my life. So, I snuck into his house in the middle of the night through the doggy door. Tight fit, but worth it. Waited in the basement for Hannah and Noah to leave. Came up behind Michael, tackled him to the ground, and just started stabbing him. Then, I put him on the couch so he would look alive. I knew Noah was gonna find him. Hilarious," Alex said, still with no emotion.

Tony had a disturbed look on his face. Obviously that was not his idea of 'hilarious'. But, then again, he had a conscience and was not a sociopath.

"Now, enough questions! Give me Lindsay or die!" Alex said.

"No," Gibbs said simply.

"Well, then, I guess I'll have to kill sparky here," Alex said as his finger moved slightly to pull the trigger. But, before, he could do it, three shots from Tony's gun hit him directly in the chest. The gun fell from Alex's hands. He was dead. Kate quickly led the family back to their mom.

Gibbs looked at Tony. "Nice shot."

"Well, I really hate physical therapy," Tony commented.

Gibbs brow furrowed. "What makes you think he couldn't of shot you dead? He killed nearly his whole family."

"He's a coward, boss. And, a bad shot. Did you see how he didn't shoot any of the victims? And he didn't want to kill me. He wanted to kill Lindsay," Tony explained.

"Did you really think all that through before you shot him?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Tony admitted. "I thought, this guy is gonna shoot me, I better shoot him first!"

"Well, at least you think fast."


	8. Chapter 8: Aftermath

**Chapter Eight: Aftermath**

 **H** is door was never locked. Tony knew that by now. He didn't know at first why he went there, but his gut told him he needed to. So, he drove up to his boss' house. It wasn't the first time. He walked into the house, closing the door behind him. He started to call out, when he heard tools working in the basement. He followed the noise down the stairs. But, for some reason, he stopped halfway along the stairs, looking at the man before him wearing an NIS t-shirt and jeans. He was suddenly filled with anxiety and thought he should leave. But, before he could, a voice said, "You gonna stand there all night?" Too late. How had Gibbs known he was standing there? He didn't even look up! But, just as well, Tony descended the rest of the way down the stairs and stopped again. Gibbs looked up. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Tony answered slowly. "I just thought-"

"No. I mean why are you standing over there? It's gonna be kinda hard to talk about whatever it is you came here to talk about if you're standing across the room," Gibbs told him.

"Right," Tony said, walking up to Gibbs. "How did you-"

"Wild guess," Gibbs returned, sitting on a stool as Tony did the same.

After a moment, Tony began, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was...you were only trying to help."

Gibbs shrugged. "Don't be. It's a normal reaction. I was prying."

"I'm glad you did," Tony said, meaning what he said.

"Why did I have to? You should've told me way before now," Gibbs questioned.

"You didn't ask. I didn't think it was important. I...I was scared. I didn't want you, of all people, to think I was weak or incompetent or whatever," Tony admitted.

Gibbs looked at him, slightly hurt. "Tony. You're honest. You're confident and you're loyal. You're intuitive and strong. You care. You have compassion. You are dependable. And that's the real you. All make you a capable, a good NCIS agent. All make you a great individual. And I can't believe you'd ever believe I would ever think different."

Tony looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," Gibbs told him.

"I can't help it. You're saying...And I'm a mess," Tony said.

Gibbs lifted Tony's chin as he said, "You're not a mess, Tony. You hear me?"

"You really mean that?" Tony asked lazily, not really believing it and looking back down.

"If I said it, I meant it," Gibbs told him. "You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. You can't honestly tell me that's what you want?"

"No," Tony sniffed, looking up with unshed tears in his eyes. "I just...I don't remember what it's like to not feel broken. And it only hurts when you start pretending it doesn't. And I tell people I'm okay, but...I never am. I am so sick of pretending that I'm okay when I'm breaking down inside. People, they see me all smiles and laughs, but, behind that...facade, I'm hurting and crying. And I can't fix it. And I am sorry that I'm sometimes not good enough."

"You are good enough. Every time. To me. You don't need to be repaired. I like you fine. Look at me. It's okay to be not okay, Tony. You're only human. But, sometimes you need to walk away. And, I know, the hardest part of moving forward is not looking back. But, you're not alone," Gibbs told him.

Tony smiled sadly. "You know what the sad part is? I still don't hate him. I mean, I know he'd just lost his wife. It was complicated. He's still my dad."

Gibbs looked hard at him. "He's not your dad, Tony. He's your father. Any man can be a father, but it takes a special one to be a dad. Your father isn't. He doesn't deserve you. Remember that."

Tony nodded and smiled, for real this time, for the first time since before the Michael Taylor case. "Thank you, boss, for everything." And he realized suddenly why he had come to Gibbs' house. He needed himself to realize something his subconscious had somewhat already thought. He wasn't broken. He wasn't scarred. He was hurt. He was wounded. But, in the end, he would be okay. And Gibbs knew that. Sometimes being strong means being able to cry. Sometimes moving on means being strong enough to let go. And Tony realized why he didn't hate his father. Strong people forgive. So he did. But never would it be completely forgotten. That was impossible.


End file.
